This invention relates generally to high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and more particularly to transistors of such type which are fabricated with a double recess.
As is known in the art, there are several types of active devices used at microwave and millimeter frequencies to provide amplification of radio frequency signals. In general, one of the more common semiconductor devices used at these frequencies is the high electron mobility transistor (HEMT). Typically, HEMTs are formed from Group III-V materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) or indium phosphide (InP). In a HEMT there is a doped donor/undoped spacer layer of one material and an undoped channel layer of a different material. A heterojunction is formed between the doped donor/undoped spacer layer and the undoped channel layer. Due to the conduction band discontinuity at the heterojunction, electrons are injected from the doped donor/undoped spacer layer into the undoped channel layer. Thus, electrons from the large bandgap donor layer are transferred into the narrow bandgap channel layer where they are confined to move only in a plane parallel to the heterojunction. Consequently, there is spacial separation between the donor atoms in the donor layer and the electrons in the channel layer resulting in low impurity scattering and good electron mobility.
One device which has been found to provide good device characteristics such as breakdown voltage, output currents, and pinch-off voltage is a double recessed HEMT. Such a device is fabricated with two aligned recesses in which the gate is formed. The recesses are typically formed by wet etching the device. The etching process is periodically interrupted and the device is tested for certain characteristics, e.g., current. If the characteristics meet the desired criteria, then etching for that recess is terminated. Otherwise, the etching continues. This process continues until both recesses meet the established criteria. This process takes time and money to repeatedly stop the etching and test the device. Also, the etching is not uniform across the wafer, resulting in inconsistent device characteristics across the wafer and low yield of acceptable devices on the wafer.